Wa `alaikum assalaam wa rahmatullaah wa barakaatuh. For Asma's question: Question: what class of men from among the family of a veiled woman are allowed to enter her home? Some scholars deemed it permissible that a husband's full brother enters his wives homes.Answer: The following are those for whom it is permissible for them to enter to women's houses and stay in seclusion with them: A husband and Mahram relatives such as a father, husband's father, son, brother's son, sister's son, paternal and maternal uncle. However, a husband's full, paternal half or maternal half brother is not a Maharm and thus may not stay in seclusion with her or see parts of her body that are unlawful to be seen.

May Allah grant us success! May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family and Companions! - Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta' [alifta.org /link: http://bit.ly/cHiHo5 ]

Can I ask, Is this the same when a girl is learning the Qur'an from a male teacher in her home with her family? However, she is alone in a room with hime with the door open and ppl present in the house?

If a woman rides in a taxi with a driver who is a male stranger to her (i.e. he is not her mahram), is this considered the privacy (khulwah) that is forbidden in the Religion? And what if two women ride together (with this taxi driver)?

Answer:

A woman riding alone with a taxi driver that is not a mahram to her may encounter herself in privacy (khulwah) in the sense that some of the forbidden matters that occur normally in khulwah (privacy), are likely to occur in such a situation. Furthermore, there is no third person that is with them. But from here, I do not hold that it is khulwah (privacy), but instead it is a motive and an incentive for fitnah (temptation). And this fitnah is not found in the other example in which there is another woman present or another man. Indeed the occurrence of fitnah in this situation is less likely than in the first situation. [Al-Asaalah, Issue #10]

Question: Is seclusion with a woman only when a man is alone with a woman in a house (in private), or is it every time a man is alone with a woman even if it is in front of the eyes of the people?

Permanent Committee of Scholars: As it relates to the seclusion that is not permissible according to the laws of Islam, then it is not only when a man is alone in a house with a woman who is a non relative, far away from the sight of the people; rather it includes his being alone with her in a place where she can whisper to him and he can whisper to her, and they can talk back and forth, even if they are in view of the people but the people can not hear what they are talking about. And it is the same whether they are in an open area, or a car, or on a roof top or anything like this.

Therefore seclusion is impermissible because it is a path to fornication and a starting point that leads to it. Therefore everything that has this meaning, even if they promise to keep their distance, then it has the ruling of the physical seclusion that is far from the eyes of the people. And with Allah lies all success and may the prayer and peace be upon our Prophet, his family and his companions.